Last year, more people passed their driving test than failed for the first time on record.

The improvement in pass rates has done little to resolve the underlying crisis in test availability.

According to the latest performance figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the number of working examiners is also up.

Positive results

Figures covering April 2025 to March 2026 show that 1,000,043 candidates passed their practical test, compared with 998,578 who failed, resulting in an overall pass rate just above 50%.

That compares with an average pass rate of 45%-47% in recent decades.

The increase comes alongside record levels of testing, with the DVSA conducting approximately 2.169 million car practical tests during 2025/26, compared with 1.96 million the previous year.

That is around 200,000 more tests and comfortably above its target of 1.975 million.

However, the increase in supply has barely shifted the backlog.

 

 

Queueing up

The DVSA’s official annual report records a national waiting-time figure of 21.5 weeks in March 2026, only marginally better than 21.9 weeks the previous year.

Its target remains seven weeks; however, its latest accounts now state that “no date set” to achieve it.

The DVSA says the fundamental problem is that demand remains higher than capacity and is difficult to predict.

It estimates that another 450,000 to 500,000 tests above normal capacity are needed to return waiting times to target levels, representing a backlog that could take another 18 months to work through.

Examiner numbers have also increased.

The active car driving examiner workforce reached approximately 1,604 full-time equivalents in March 2026, a 7% increase year-on-year and the highest level since 2018.

The DVSA has also introduced incentives to encourage additional testing and improve retention, while using qualified Ministry of Defence examiners to provide extra capacity.

Filling opportunity

But the AA Driving School argues that capacity remains the crucial issue.

Its analysis found that 69 test centres remained at the maximum 24-week waiting-time measure throughout every month of 2025, with those centres still at 24 weeks into January 2026.

AA Driving School managing director Emma Bush said: “Learner drivers continue to face unacceptable delays in accessing driving tests. The data clearly shows more needs to be done to really get a handle on the situation and start to push waiting times back.”

She added that booking-system reforms were “unlikely to be the silver bullet” and called for continued focus on recruiting and retaining examiners.

The Driving Instructors Association (DIA) has also questioned whether the headline waiting-time measure accurately reflects learners’ experience.

Its latest analysis shows that the national median wait reached 11.1 weeks in July 2026, while the DVSA’s 10%-availability measure remained around 20 weeks.

DIA chief executive Carly Brookfield said changing the headline statistic had not demonstrated meaningful recovery.

“The only improving statistic really is pass rates creeping up to 52% from around 50% at the start of the year,” she said, warning that longer waits should not be presented as a positive simply because learners may become more experienced while waiting.

The DVSA itself recognises the limitations of its traditional measure.

It calculates waiting time as7 the earliest week in which at least 10% of appointments are available, capped at 24 weeks, and is now developing median booking-to-test figures to better represent the learner experience.

Automatic for the people

There are also significant changes in the type of test being taken.

AA Driving School analysis shows that automatic tests accounted for 29.4% of all car tests in 2025/26, compared with around 4% in 2007/08.

The automatic pass rate reached 44.6%.

For learners, the result is a mixed picture: passing has become more likely, but getting a test remains the major obstacle.

 

 

Time, money and stress

For instructors, lengthy waits mean pupils can require months of additional training, while cancellations and unpredictable test dates disrupt lesson diaries and business planning.

Meanwhile, candidates are still struggling in many areas to secure a test slot within a reasonable timeframe, raising stress levels before and during the test.

Their learning costs are also increased due to additional lessons to cover the long wait period.

The DVSA is introducing further booking controls, including restrictions on test resale, automated booking tools and movement between centres, alongside investment in a new digital platform.

So, despite the positive headlines about test pass rates, the latest figures therefore demonstrate a paradox: the DVSA is conducting more tests and has more examiners, yet learners are still waiting far longer than the agency’s own target.

Until capacity consistently exceeds demand, record test numbers alone are unlikely to deliver the shorter waits learners and instructors have been promised.